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Moon-gazers saw a super moon, when it looks bigger and brighter than ever because it is closer to the earth, a blue moon, which is the second full moon in a calendar month, and a blood moon, a reference to the red colour of an eclipse. The phenomenon was visible across several parts of the world.
The moon put on a rare cosmic show Wednesday: a red blue moon, super big and super bright.
The celestial treat became visible in India a little later than expected but when it did, millions of stargazers across the country gathered to witness the rare occurrence.
The moon outdid itself in donning three roles. Moon-gazers saw a super moon, when it looks bigger and brighter than ever because it is closer to the earth, a blue moon, which is the second full moon in a calendar month, and a blood moon, a reference to the red colour of an eclipse. The sighting of a blue moon and a total lunar eclipse last occurred in India in 1982.
Many organisations across the country stepped in to enhance the show…

Trump railed against a series of “atrocities” in Afghanistan and said as a result the US would not engage in any future talks with the Taliban as the administration seeks to end a stalemate in America’s longest war.
President Donald Trump told visiting members of the UN Security Council on Monday the US would no longer talk with the Taliban following a recent string of deadly attacks in Afghanistan.
Trump railed against a series of “atrocities” in Afghanistan and said as a result the US would not engage in any future talks with the Taliban as the administration seeks to end a stalemate in America’s longest war.
“Innocent people are being killed left and right. Bombing, in the middle of children, in the middle of families, bombing, killing all over Afghanistan,” Trump said. “So we don’t want to talk with the Taliban. There may be a time but it’s going to be a long time.”
The president’s comments followed a deadly car bombing attack in Kabul, the Afghan capital, that killed at least 95 …

The paper said neither Russia nor the United States is abandoning nuclear weapons as each adopts new high-tech weapons capabilities.
China must strengthen its nuclear deterrence and counter-strike capabilities to keep pace with the developing nuclear strategies of the United States and Russia, the official paper of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said on Tuesday.
US President Donald Trump’s administration may be pursuing the development of new nuclear weaponry and could explicitly leave open the possibility of nuclear retaliation for major non-nuclear attacks, according to a draft of a pending Nuclear Posture Review leaked by the Huffington Post.
This “unprecedented” move by the United States, combined with continuous quality improvements of nuclear arsenals in both the US and Russia, means that both countries place greater importance on deterrence and real combat usability, the commentary in the PLA Daily said.
“In the roiling unpredictability of today’s world, to upgrade the capa…

Bareilly district magistrate Raghvendra Vikram Singh asked on Facebook why anti-Pakistan slogans were raised in a Muslim-dominated locality of Uttar Pradesh’s Kasganj, where communal clashes have killed one person.
The district magistrate of Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly may face action for his comment on Facebookallegedly criticising right-wing Hindu organisations for inciting communal violence in Kasganj, a post which he deleted and tendered an apology on Tuesday for causing “pain”.
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said action could be taken against Raghvendra Vikram Singh for posting the controversial comment as rules prohibit government servants from making such remarks on social media.
“He appeared to be making a statement like a party spokesman despite the fact that government servants are bound by rules,” Maurya said over the phone.
Sources said chief minister Yogi Adityanath was unhappy with Singh’s comment.
“These days, a strange trend of visiting Muslim-dominated locali…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting leaders of 10 ASEAN countries at the Republic Day parade that will be held at Rajpath today. Here are the live updates.
As the country geared up for the 69th Republic Day celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted citizens on the occasion on Friday.
“Greetings on #RepublicDay. Jai Hind (sic),” the Prime Minister said in a tweet.
India is showcasing its military prowess, culture and diversity in the presence of leaders of the 10 ASEAN nations who will attend the event at the Rajpath as chief guests.
There will be a march past by the Army personnel carrying the ASEAN flag at the Republic Day parade, where 23 tableaux, including those representing various states, ministries, the All India Radio (AIR) among others, will roll down the Rajpath.
The city has been wrapped in an unprecedented security blanket with thousands of security personnel keeping a hawk- eyed vigil to prevent any terror strike or untoward incident during the celebrations.
…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hosting leaders of 10 ASEAN countries at the Republic Day parade that will be held at Rajpath today. Here are the live updates.
Pakistan on Thursday accused India of exceeding its legitimate defence needs and said New Delhi’s buildup of advanced weapons would negatively impact strategic stability in South Asia and beyond.
Foreign office (FO) spokesman Mohammad Faisal said there was a clear disconnect between India’s declared policy of restraint and its relentless pursuit of an ambitious missile programme.
He alleged that the development of Agni V intercontinental ballistic missile showed India’s real designs of pursuing hegemony. He termed it an “exercise in power projection”.
“While every state has a right to its security, the buildup of sophisticated and advanced weapons and delivery systems by India far exceeds its legitimate defence needs,” he said.
“Seen in the backdrop of other acquisitions of advanced capabilities in both the conventional and non…

Pininfarina will also become a sponsor of the Mahindra Racing team, competing in the FIA Formula E championship.Mahindra Racing today
said it has entered into a strategic partnership with Pininfarina and Tech
Mahindra under which it will get access to the Italian design firm’s expertise
and Indian tech major’s digital technology. Besides, Pininfarina
will also become a sponsor of the Mahindra Racing Formula E team, Mahindra
Racing said in a statement. Mahindra Racing is a
part of the Mahindra group and it competes in the FIA Formula E Championship. “This (partnership)
enables the team to leverage Pininfarina’s legendary design and technology
expertise to enhance the performance of its M5Electro race car, currently under
development for Season 5 of the Formula E Championship which begins in December
2018,” it said. Mahindra Group
President (Group Communications & Ethics) & Chief Brand Officer Ruzbeh
Irani said: “Combining their design, technology and digital skills will
significant…

The tiny Gulf state’s economy has maintained positive growth in the seven months since Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an air and land siege, said the report by Capital Economics.Qatar’s economy has
weathered the impact of a months-long blockade by neighbouring countries,
although its tourism and real estate sectors have taken a hit, an economic
report said on Wednesday. The tiny Gulf state’s
economy has maintained positive growth in the seven months since Saudi Arabia,
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an air and land siege, said the
report by Capital Economics. “Recently-released
national accounts data confirmed that Qatar avoided the worst fears that the
diplomatic crisis would plunge its economy into recession,” the independent
London-based research firm said. The economy of the
gas-rich state grew by 1.9 percent in the third quarter of last year, up from
0.3 percent in the previous quarter, it said. Growth of the
non-hydrocarbon sector, whi…

A video which surfaced on Wednesday shows the man standing too close to the tracks and ignoring a warning call.
A man nearly died while taking a selfie video with a speeding train in the background in Hyderabad.
The man, who police identified as Shiva from Warangal, is seen standing right next to the railway tracks and pointing to an oncoming speeding train in the video. As the train draws up in line with him, Shiva is knocked down and the video ends with a thud as people are heard rushing towards him.
The incident occurred on Sunday near Bharat Nagar railway station on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
The disturbing video surfaced on Wednesday and was quickly shared on social media, with users describing the stunt as the “height of stupidity”.
In the video someone is heard warning the man as the train comes closer. However, Shiva ignores it and is heard saying “one minute” before being hit by the train.
Shiva sustained injuries on his head and hands. He was admitted to a private hospital …

The Financial Times newspaper said hostesses were told to wear skimpy black dresses with matching underwear before being paraded in front of men.Women hired to entertain businessmen and politicians at a
men-only charity fundraising gala in London were groped, propositioned and
sexually harassed at the secretive event, the Financial Times newspaper said on
Wednesday. Coming at a time of intense
public debate about sexual harassment in the workplace, the report caused an
immediate backlash against the Presidents Club charity. One major corporate
sponsor severed ties and two children’s hospitals announced they would return
all donations. The Financial Times reported
that over a six-hour period, hostesses hired for the gala had been subject to
fondling, lunging, attempts to kiss them, lewd comments and requests to join
guests in hotel bedrooms. Some said men had put their hands
up their skirts, the report said, and one complained a guest had exposed his
penis to her. The club’s Charitable Tru…

By 2016 a total of 1,093 Indian students were enrolled in PhD in Australia as against one researcher from that country studying in IndiaNew Delhi The Group of
Eight (Go8), which comprises eight of Australia’s research universities, has
advocated relaxed visa norms between Australia and India for students seeking
to do PhD in either country. In a report put
together by academics of both the countries and launched on Monday, the body
identified lack of finance and awareness and other logistical barriers as a few
of the obstacles hampering the vice versa flow of PhD students. The report also
recommended to the Australian government to establish a “special class of visa
for researchers and Ph.D graduates”. “As the Indian
government has launched a number of initiatives to reform Indian economy, Make
in India being of foremost importance, we have looked at how Indian companies
and Australian companies based in India can jointly sponsor Indian students to
students to study on PhD projects relev…

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson paid a discreet visit to the new US embassy in London on Monday, after President Donald Trump cancelled plans to open it himself following a series of rows.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson paid a discreet visit to the new US embassy in London on Monday, after President Donald Trump cancelled plans to open it himself following a series of rows.
Tillerson bucked tradition by not holding a formal meet-and-greet at the new embassy, which the State Department said was due to the current shutdown of the US government over a budget impasse in Congress.
But even before the shutdown, the State Department had already played down Tillerson’s visit to the embassy, which opened last week, because of controversy over Trump’s refusal to inaugurate the new building.
The president said he was unhappy at the cost and location of the new embassy, a futuristic cuboid building surrounded by a moat.
But the decision came after a series of rows that have damaged the s…